Eastern Cherokees vow investigation of incident at casino show

Thursday, April 14, 2016

The Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, North Carolina, celebrated its 18th anniversary in 2015. Photo from Facebook

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Leaders of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina are promising to investigate a casino board member whose alleged actions have stirred major controversy on the reservation.

Angela Kephart admits going to the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort for a concert in February. But she denies any wrongdoing in connection with an alleged sexual harassment of an employee and the alleged mistreatment of another.

“This is maliciousness,” Kephart said at a council meeting on April 7, The Smoky Mountain News. “This is an attack on me as a person, on my friends and family and my coworkers, but most importantly my children.”

Still, surveillance footage from the night in question is raising many questions. Clips posted by Cherokee Rants & Raves show a member of Kephart's entourage engaging in close physical contact with a male casino employee.

The footage is grainy but a member of Angela Kephart's entourage can be seen engaging in close physical contact with a male employee of the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina. Still image from Cherokee Rants & Raves

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Although Kephart is not accused of the harassment, some tribal leaders believe she abused her authority by gaining access to the Chief’s Suite at the venue. Her friends can be seen wearing wristbands that allowed them to drink alcohol for free but Kephart claims she did not partake.

“Not one time inside that suite did I take one drink," Kephart said, the paper reported. Casino board members are barred from accepting gifts of anything from the tribal gaming operations, the paper added.

Kephart has since filed a lawsuit in tribal court against the mother of the female casino employee who was present on the night in question, the paper reported. She also claims she was forced out of her job as the manager of a tribal health clinic but she is refusing to resign from the casino board.

The tribal council failed to advance a resolution that would have removed Kephart from the board but Bill Taylor, the chairman of the council, promised to investigate, the paper reported.

Get the Story:
Casino board member under investigation (The Smoky Mountain News 4/13)

An Opinion:
EDITORIAL by Robert Jumper: Sex, lies and video tape (The Cherokee One Feather 4/11)